Monday, July 06, 2009

Weekly Toll: Death in the American Workplace

June 1, Calcutta, Ohio — Authorities say an Ohio teenager fell nearly 100 feet to his death inside a state park where he was doing tree trimming work. The State Highway Patrol says 17-year-old Dustin Huffman suffered head trauma in Tuesday's fall down a cliff and was pronounced dead at the scene in Beaver Creek State Park, about 80 miles southeast of Cleveland. Troopers say Huffman apparently lost his footing while exploring in the park during a break from his summer job cutting branches away from utility lines.

WVa worker dies after being pinned by equipment

June 1, Pleasant Valley, West Virginia - A Fairmont man has died after being pinned between an aerial lift's platform and a crane. Police say 48-year-old George Green was standing on the platform as he backed the lift out of a United Rentals garage Tuesday morning. The lift backed into a crane parked behind it, pinning Green between the platform and the crane. Marion County sheriff's Detective Sgt. Chip Phillips says Green died at the scene.

1 Dies, 2 Injured After Fall From Construction Site

June 1, Dublin, Ohio —A Columbus construction worker fell to his death Wednesday at a Dublin construction site after a scaffolding collapsed, injuring two co-workers as well...The three workers fell different distances from the scaffolding: one fell to the ground, a second worker fell two stories and a third worker fell one story, according to Dublin Public Information Officer Mike Racey. Wilbert Johnson, 52, of Columbus died after he fell an unknown distance.

Electric Boat worker killed on job

June 1, North Kingston, Rhode Island - An Electric Boat worker injured on the job Wednesday morning has died from his injuries, according to a company news release. In a bulletin sent to employees, the company said the victim was a rigger at the plant. The accident happened at 7:25 a.m. at the company's Quonset manufacturing facility in North Kingstown. The 31-year-old worker was then taken to Kent Hospital in Warwick, where he was pronounced dead, the release said. Company officials said the victim worked for Electric Boat for 10 years.

Pedmont Trucker Killed In Grinding Accident

June 1, Piedmont, Alabama - log truck driver died Tuesday when he ran into the rear of a dump truck on U.S. 278 near Hokes Bluff. James Franklin Beecham, 49, was killed in the wreck but the driver of the dump truck, 38-year-old Paul Taylor Pledger, of Ball Play, was only slightly injured. The impact caused the dump truck to turn over, dumping its load of chert. The logs shifted, crunching the cab of the Beecham’s truck and pinning him inside the wreckage. It’s the third wreck in less than two years involving a large truck overturning and spilling its load.

Farmers market worker electrocuted

June 30, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Maintenance supervisor Earl W. Yerkes, 85, was killed while working on a rooftop air conditioning unit. A faithful employee who worked for the Quakertown Farmers Market for nearly 50 years died there Saturday afternoon when he was shocked by at least 450 volts of electricity, officials said. Earl W. Yerkes, 85, was pronounced dead at St. Luke's Hospital Quakertown, but indications are he might have died immediately, said Richard Woldow, owner of the farmers market on Station Avenue in Richland.

Railway worker crushed to death

June 26, Albertville, Alabama - Progress Rail’s scrap yard, on Industrial Boulevard in Albertville, was the scene of a fatal accident shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday. Dustin Price Moles, 33, of 1363 Lasseter Road, Southside, was fatally injured when he was crushed between a railroad tank car and a pile of scrap metal. According to the official police report, and statements by Albertville Fire Chief Robert Terrell, Moles, a conductor for Alabama & Tennessee Railroad, was standing on a small platform at the rear of the tank car at the time of the accident.

Recycling employee killed in Irwindale work accident

June 25, West Covina, California - A recycling service employee was killed Thursday when a metal cable he was replacing on a dump truck snapped and struck him in the head. Juan Manuel Navarrete, 43, of Los Angeles was pronounced dead at the scene when officials arrived at a waste and recycling service company at 282 Live Oak Ave., said Irwindale Sgt. Gil Cuen. Police responded the scene about 6:40 p.m. Thursday after an employee of a nearby company found Navarrete lying on the ground with a laceration on his head.

Man fatally shot in head in Castro Valley hydroponics store

June 26, Castro Valley, California - The Alameda County Sheriff's Office is searching for at least two suspects after a man in a Castro Valley hydroponics business was fatally shot in the head Friday afternoon. The man was taken to Eden Medical Center in critical condition, and died there Friday evening....Miles did not identify the man — nor whether he was the business owner, an employee or a customer — pending notification of relatives. He said some witnesses had provided descriptions of possible suspects, but no description was released to the media.

2 workers killed in fatal Palm Beach County crash

June 25, Jupiter, Florida - Authorities say two road construction workers have died in accident in Palm Beach County. Police say a third worker was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries suffered in the crash early Friday morning in Jupiter. The worker's condition was not known. The workers were repaving the roads as part of an ongoing project. The names of the workers were not released. Authorities have not released any additional details of the crash.

Man dies in workplace accident in Durant

June 25, Durant, Oklahoma - An employee died today at a Durant business when he was hit by a large piece of granite. The man and a coworker at Allied Stone, 2201 W. Arkansas St., were moving slabs of granite on a forklift at 8:45 a.m. when one of the slabs split down the middle, falling on the man, Durant police Lt. Carrie Wyrick said. The man suffered a head injury and died at the scene, Wyrick said. The identity of the man has not been released. Durant police are still investigating the accident.

Houston Officer Killed

June 25, Houston, Texas - Two men are facing murder charges in connection with the death of veteran Houston police officer Henry Canales. The Harris County District Attorney has charged the suspected illegal aliens 41-year-old Andres Nava-Maldonado and 36-year-old Xiomara Mendez-Rosales with fatally shooting the undercover officer during a robbery. The shooter, 37-year-old Roberto Pedroza Carrillo was shot and killed at the scene.

I-35 construction worker killed in Austin area

June 24, Austin, Texas — The driver of a dark-colored SUV is sought after a construction worker along Interstate 35 in the Austin area was struck and killed. Police Sgt. Kenneth Conner says the accident happened before dawn Wednesday along southbound I-35. Conner says the SUV drove into the construction area, striking and killing the worker, then sped away.

Construction worker's death blamed on heat

June 25, North Little Rock, - A 44-year-old North Little Rock man has become the first person in Pulaski County to die because of the heat. Frank Goy died Wednesday afternoon at a North Little Rock hospital after becoming ill while doing construction work at a home Wednesday morning. Goy's body was sent to the state Crime Laboratory for an autopsy but Pulaski County Coroner Garland Camper says the death fits the profile of being heat related.

Man Doing Yard Work Struck, Killed By Car

June 24, Allentown, Pennsylvania - One person was killed after being hit by a car in Monroe County. It happened on Route 196 in Tobyhanna in Coolbaugh Township yesterday afternoon. Police say Lisamarie Ostuni, 43, of Tobyhanna, was traveling south on Route 196 when her vehicle left the road. They say the vehicle was on the berm of the road when it struck Robert Apuzzi, who was doing yard work. Apuzzi, 49, was killed.

Man found dead after falling at Huntsman facility in Port Neches

June 24, Port Neches, Texas - A cause of death has not been determined for a man who was found dead after falling this morning at the Huntsman facility in Port Neches. Around 7:15 a.m., workers at the facility on the corner of FM 366 and Hogaboom Road found the man on the ground near a rail car, according to Brent Weaver of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. Port Neches fire and EMS as well as the Sheriff's Office responded to the call.

Consol Mine Worker Crushed To Death In Pennsylvania

June 24, Steubenville, Ohio - An investigation is under way into a fatal mining accident at a Consol mine in Greene County, Pa. A 54-year-old worker was putting bolts into the roof of the mine when a rock fell, crushing him, according to Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Tom Rathbun. Rathbun said the mine will be idled while the DEP and other officials investigate the accident.

Worker in Pa. demolition fall dies of injuries

June 23, Titusville, Pennsylvania - A coroner says a New York man has died of head injuriesJ from falling from a roof he was helping demolish at a former hardware store in northwestern Pennsylvania. The Erie County Coroner says 69-year-old Millard Young, of Akron, N.Y. died Sunday at Hamot Medical Center in Erie from complications of injuries he received in the fall. Young was working for Rockford Construction Co. of Grand Rapids, Mich. when he fell while doing roof demolition work in Titusville on June 12. The building is being renovated, possibly for use as a video rental store.

Construction worker from The Colony run over, killed by truck he was repairing

June 23, Dallas, Texas - A construction worker in The Colony was killed earlier today when he was run over and dragged by a truck he was repairing. The incident happened about 9:30 a.m. at a city pump station in the 4100 block of Main Street. The construction site has been closed while the death is being investigated. It appears the victim was working on the truck when another worker, not realizing anyone was under the vehicle, got in and drove off, said Lt. Darren Brockway, of The Colony Police Department.

Ex-jockey killed in S.J. track accident

June 22, Stockton, California - A 47-year-old man died after he was hurt while working Sunday on the San Joaquin County Fair's horse-racing track, fair and law enforcement officials confirmed Monday. David Fowler-Wright, a Humboldt County resident, was a former jockey who was employed this year as a rake man, responsible for raking the track smooth of tire tracks that can frighten horses....While the gate was moving, Fowler-Wright either slipped or tried to jump off it and fell. He was run over by the gate's back tires.

Family of woman killed in lab fire raps regulators

June 22, Los Angeles, California —The family of a 23-year-old research assistant killed in a lab explosion at UCLA says the state's investigation was shoddy and the university's penalties too light. The family of Sheharbano Sangji issued the criticisms and asked for harsher penalties in documents filed with the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health. The family's requests were denied last week because only an employer may appeal a fine.

Maryland Construction Worker Struck and Killed by Dump Truck

June 22, Maryland Police say a construction worker is dead after being hit by a dump truck. The worker was hit around 10:15 p.m. Thursday at a construction site in Capitol Heights. Police say the driver of a dump truck was backing up and did not see the worker and the worker was pronounced dead on the scene.

Groom found dead at Waupaca foundry

June 22, Grandview, Indiana — Marilyn Gentry said her only son, Frankie Jordan, finally had found the right woman in his life. "They got married on June 13 and went on their honeymoon in Gatlinburg (Tenn.)," the 75-year-old Spencer County woman said. "The 13th has always been my lucky day. I talked with him when he got back, and he was in great spirits." Jordan was about nine hours into a 12-hour shift when he was found dead early Monday morning after an accident at the ThyssenKrupp Waupaca foundry in Tell City, Ind., where he was a maintenance man. Perry County Deputy Coroner John Gebhard said Jordan was pinned between two pieces of equipment when rescue workers arrived at 3:41 a.m.

Mass. Man Dies After Being Shot At Gas Station

June 22, New Bedford, Massachusetts - A 32-year-old man shot while visiting his friend at a New Bedford gas station has died. Bristol district attorney spokesman Gregg Miliote says John Martin of New Bedford died Sunday. He was shot in the head a day earlier during an attempted robbery at the Petro Mart. Martin was visiting his friend, who is a store clerk, when another man walked into the store, showed a handgun and said he would rob the business.

Four killed in Metro Red Line collision

June 22, Gaithersburg, Maryland - At least four people were killed, including a female Metro train operator, and at least 70 people were injured Monday evening when two Red Line trains collided between the Takoma and Fort Totten stations about 5 p.m., according to Metro and Takoma Park police officials. The collision occurred when a train heading toward the Shady Grove station slammed into another train from behind during rush hour. The names of the four people killed have not been released, but one reportedly was a Metro employee. There are conflicting reports on the number and severity of the injuries. But according to Metro's Web site, some injuries were serious. Metro did not know the cause of the collision.

Foundry worker found dead

June 22, Tell City, Indiana - A Grandview man dies while working his shift at the Waupaca Foundry in Tell City. The Perry County Deputy Coroner, John Gebhard, says 42-year-old Frankie Jordan was found dead around 3:30 this morning. Gebhard says the cause of death has not been determined, but there is trauma to Jordan's chest. An autopsy will be performed, but it is not yet scheduled. A family friend tells 14 News Jordan just got married last week.

Man Killed at U-M

June 22, Ann Arbor, Michigan - Authorities say a 48-year-old worker was killed when a load of roofing materials fell from a crane and hit him at a University of Michigan hospital construction site.Gary Winisky Jr. of Garden City was struck Monday at the site of the new C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor. He died in the emergency room at the university's medical center. The Ann Arbor News says it's the third construction death on campus in the past 16 months.

Truck driver in fiery crash is identified

June 21, Long Beach, California - Authorities on Sunday identified a truck driver killed in a fiery crash on a freeway interchange. Stanley Jones, 51, was killed June 13 when the tanker truck he was driving plunged off the road while making the transition from the eastbound Artesia (91) Freeway to the northbound Long Beach (710) Freeway, said Los Angeles County coroner's spokesman Jim Blacklock. The truck spilled about 8,000 gallons of gasoline, igniting an intense blaze that melted guardrails and left only the truck's axles and small portions of the cab.

3 comments:

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